Trail Blazers interim general manager Chad Buchanan said an “abnormality” was discovered in Aldridge’s sore right hip during his visit with Dr. Marc Phillipon on Tuesday, and the All-Star power forward is officially listed as day-to-day. Forward J.J. Hickson will start in place of Aldridge tonight, when the Blazers host the Warriors at the Rose Garden.

Buchanan said Aldridge will undergo further medical “consultation” and all parties involved will have “further conversation” before the team decides what to do with its franchise cornerstone going forward. When asked if surgery was being considered, Buchanan did not rule it out.

“We’re not going to close the door on anything at this point,” Buchanan said.

Aldridge traveled to Vail on Tuesday to visit Phillipon in search of a third medical opinion on his balky right hip. He’s experienced pain dating to at least January 2011, when he underwent an MRI, and it has increased in recent weeks.

Aldridge had an MRI performed this season, on March 28, but the tests came back negative. However, the pain lingered, so he and his agent, Thad Foucher, set up the visit with Phillipon. After another MRI was taken in Vail, the abnormality was discovered.

Buchanan said the team hopes to decide on a course of action for Aldridge and his hip “in the next few days” but said there was no set timetable. If surgery does occur, it would be Aldridge's second hip procedure — in 2005, as a freshman at the University of Texas, he had surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left hip.

Even if surgery is not necessary, it seems more and more likely that Aldridge has played his last game of the season. He has been among the NBA’s leaders in minutes played the last two seasons — ranking third last season and 17th this season — and because the Blazers are all but out of the playoff race, it only makes sense for the team to rest and protect its cornerstone.

Meanwhile, there was positive news regarding another injured Blazers player. Starting small forward Nicolas Batum participated in the team’s shootaround this morning and will be a game-time decision against the Warriors.

Batum did not play in Monday night’s loss to the Houston Rockets because of left quad tendinitis.